Daily Perspective for March 8, 2011

Frost

I have a really bad habit during these cold months. Overnight, frost often forms on the windshield of my car as it sits in my driveway, and as I rush out the door and into the car in the morning, taking the time to scrape it off or to let the defroster melt it is often the last thing on my mind. So instead, I rush out of the driveway in the car, peering through the clouded windshield, running the wipers and washer, heat cranked on high, hoping that it all clears up before I really have to see something.

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this dangerous, foolish practice.

One of the most startling revelations of my adult life has been the fact that what I perceive to be reality oftentimes is not: it’s distorted, incomplete, or inaccurate. My view of people, situations, circumstances, and even God is very often not the real picture. The same is true for each of us: we view life and others through our own biases, brokenness, and personality- our fallen condition.

In Matthew 7, Jesus says this: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “

Jesus is speaking in the context of judging others, and we typically interpret “specks” and “planks” as the activity of sin. Sin, however, is more than just an activity. It’s a condition. It pervades every corner of our existence. If you’ve ever had a speck of dirt in your eye, you know that it is impossible to see clearly, or to focus on anything else, until it's been removed.

But there is good news! While the Christian will never be completely free from the condition of sin until we depart this earth, we have do power over it every day through the work of Christ for us and the Holy Spirit in us, and as we walk the journey of life in community with other believers.

What aren't you seeing clearly today? What “frost” is clouding your personal windshield, causing you to swerve all over life’s road? How might it be cleared away? And are you will to devote yourself to that time-consuming process before you set out on your next journey?

This is my perspective, what's yours?

Michael